LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Family and friends packed into one of Lexington’s newest restaurants, Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, to celebrate its opening on Friday and its chef and owner, Sam Fore. Fore has Tuk Tuk pop-ups around the country, but this is her first restaurant.
She shares, "We started out in a tent behind a bar on the North Side and now we have this beautiful space and you know it’s a long time coming after dodging it for seven years, but this feels like a really great representation of the journey that we've had and the people who have been a part of it."
This restaurant features spices and flavors from Sri Lankan culture. Fore is a first-generation Sri Lankan American, she grew up in Lexington. She's been featured in national magazines and was on the Food Network's 'Beat Bobby Flay.' She's grown a following over the years, but now, she wants to continue to highlight her culture.
"This is one of those things where these are flavors that are also pretty common across multiple cultures. This isn't just a Sri Lankan thing, turmeric you even find in chow chow in Appalachia. So, this is a great way for people to see how many commonalities we do have,” says Fore.
Co-owner and Fore's husband, Chris Fore, says that this journey has been about more than just food, but connection.
Chris Fore says, "Something that brings a new aspect to the Lexington food community, but doesn't feel like it's from a million miles away — just something special, is all we want it to feel like."
Fore says she wants to bring the community into this space in more ways than one. Some of her first regulars in this area helped her vision come to life by creating this colorful mural that reflects the restaurant's culture.
Mural artist and designers with Studio Mel Designs, Hayley Harris and Lynsay Christensen, say, "Think tropical thoughts but also rooted in Kentucky, and we also wanted to include her early days working with the tent and pop-ups — because I have frequented her pop-ups all the time."
Fore says she's not only working to serve Lexington’s diverse culture but workplace culture. She says she believes that "happy people make good food." While embracing the diversity that this city has to offer, she wants to focus more on commonalities than differences.
Fore says, “Everyone would expect to see this in Chicago or New York or Houston, but it's not really doing a service to everybody who's already here — and so, Sri Lankan food isn't just for Sri Lankan’s, it's got to be for everybody."
For more information on the restaurant, click here.
